FIRST LOOK: GEORGE W. BUSH on the cover of January’s AARP magazine, in connection with Tuesday’s publication of “Decision Points.” http://politi.co/dAKaSa

PRESIDENT OBAMA OP-ED in N.Y. Times, “Exporting Our Way to Stability”: “[T]he more we export abroad, the more jobs we create in America. … During my first visit to India, I will be joined by hundreds of American business leaders and their Indian counterparts to announce concrete progress toward our export goal -- billions of dollars in contracts that will support tens of thousands of American jobs.” http://nyti.ms/bIpxcs

--TOM DONILON, national security adviser, briefing the press on Air Force One en route the refueling stop in Ramstein, Germany: “[T]he presence of a large number of American CEOs here really does underscore the opportunity here for American business and for American economic growth. … This is the sixth visit by a U.S. President to India... So that gives you a sense of the breadth of the relationship. … [O]ur intent here during the course of this trip is to demonstrate that breadth. … It’s the overall thrust of the relationship, I think, that really is the important story here. And that’s how we’ve been thinking about Asia generally and this trip specifically.”

--SECRETARY CLINTON arrived in Australia on Saturday for security talks at end of seven-country Asia-Pacific tour. She returns to Andrews on Monday.

--BREAKING, from the White House weekly guidance for Vice President Biden: “The Vice President will be in New Orleans … this weekend. On Sunday, … the Vice President will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. There will be a pool spray at the top of the meeting for still photographers only. [Later,] the Vice President will address the Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly.”

TOP STORY – PELOSI TWEETS THAT SHE’S RUNNING FOR MINORITY LEADER -- John Bresnahan and Jonathan Allen: “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to stay in power as minority leader after losing 60 seats and control of the House -- a stunning announcement that sets up combat between her two top lieutenants. Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer, the majority leader, and South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, the majority whip, are positioning themselves to battle over the post of minority whip. … Republicans … are virtually giddy … Pelosi told colleagues in a letter that ‘our work is not finished’ … It's a blow to Hoyer, whose support base was decimated by Tuesday's electoral tsunami, with more than half the conservative Blue Dog Coalition going down to defeat. … For some shell-shocked House Democrats who held on in tough districts Tuesday, Pelosi's decision is a bad dream come true.” http://bit.ly/d2oakR

--The RNC, which had a red-and-white “FIRE PELOSI” banner on the front of its headquarters for most of the year, now has a red and white “HIRE PELOSI.”

--PELOSI MINDMELD: Nancy Pelosi is no Sarah Palin. She deserves credit for staying in the fight. Anyone who really knows Nancy Pelosi would tell you she is not one to run away from a fight. The people of San Francisco reelected her with 80 percent of the vote on Tuesday. She is not going to ditch them.

--A source close to Steny Hoyer: “Hoyer spent Friday afternoon and evening working the phones, checking in with members and will continue to speak to the Caucus throughout the weekend. The word is he received an outpouring of support for him to run as Whip from across the Caucus. Hoyer is working to bring the caucus together – something he’s uniquely qualified to do, having helped bring Democrats together on many difficult issues over the past four years, including health care reform and Wall Street reform. Hoyer has secured commitments from a range of members such as Bob Filner, Pedro Pierluisi, Lois Capps, Silvestre Reyes and many others.”

--NO APOLOGIES -- E.J. Dionne interviewed Pelosi: “[E]verything she said made clear that she's not ready to allow millions of dollars in Republican attack ads to drive her from public life. She wants another crack at winning electoral vindication for a record she believes stands well on the merits. … Republicans always look for a liberal they can target, she said, and for decades, the choice was the late Edward M. Kennedy. … ‘Now they didn't have him,’ she adds. ‘To some extent they did this with Mrs. Clinton for a while. … Now you take a woman and a progressive and you put it together. … Because I'm effective. … It's why they had to do it. They had to put a stop to me because we were effective in passing health-care reform, which the health insurance industry wanted to stop; Wall Street reform, which Wall Street wanted to stop; [reforms of] students loans … I'm one of the most effective fundraisers that the Congress has had . . . because I believe in something. … What made a difference in the election is the fact that they said we are spending money, and where are the jobs?” http://wapo.st/9KxgIi

--Rove, on whether he’ll support Sarah Palin for the GOP presidential nomination: “I am for whoever the nominee is, whoever he or she is. … I do not plan to get involved in the process. … I’m a commentator. So I’m going to be commenting on all of them. And I hope they all have thick skins enough that they won’t take offense by what I say.”

TOP TALKER – WSJ A4, “MSNBC Suspends TV Host Over Political Contributions,” by Sam Schechner: “MSNBC initially said contributor Chris Hayes would be a replacement, but later said that MSNBC news anchor Thomas Roberts would fill in … Olbermann's contributions were disclosed Friday in an article on Politico … Losing Mr. Olbermann could be a big blow for MSNBC … Mr. Olbermann's show averaged 1.1 million viewers in October, well above CNN in that hour, but far behind Fox News's Bill O'Reilly. … On Twitter, Mr. Hayes said: ‘My not hosting has nothing to do with several donations I made to two friends before I ever signed an MSNBC contract.’ Mr. Hayes, Washington editor of the Nation magazine, made a series of donations to Josh Segall, an Alabama Democrat, who ran for Congress in 2008 … Hayes also donated $250 in January 2009 to Thomas Geoghegan, who ran in a primary for an Illinois seat. This summer, Mr. Hayes interviewed Mr. Geoghegan, an author, when he guest hosted ‘The Rachel Maddow Show.’”

--Guest host Thomas Roberts, on “Countdown”: “Last night, MSNBC management became aware of three political contributions that Keith made to three different candidates last week. The contributions are not permitted by NBC News without prior approval. In light of those facts, Keith has been suspended indefinitely. And we know all of you are looking forward to Keith’s return, and so are we.”

--Rachel Maddow last night: “I understand this rule. I understand what it means to break this rule. I believe everybody should face the same treatment under this rule. I also personally believe that the point has been made and we should have Keith back hosting ‘Countdown.’ … Yes, Keith is a liberal, and so am I. And there are other people on this network whose political views are shared openly with you, our beloved viewers, but we are not a political operation. … We are a news operation, and the rules around here are a part of how you know that. Before it was politically safe to do it, Keith Olbermann attracted the ire of the right wing and a lot of others besides when he brought to light and raged against what he saw as the errors and sins of the previous presidential administration.”

TRIP LATEST:

--Brian Williams, on “Nightly”: “One place the president will NOT be going is India’s high-tech and job-rich capital, Bangalore. It’s the place often blamed for the OUTSOURCING that has killed so many AMERICAN jobs.” Video http://bit.ly/djJQiQ

--AP’s Erica Werner, in Mumbai: “President Barack Obama hasn't been able to drive down unemployment in America, so he's coming to India in search of U.S. jobs.”

--AFP’s Phil Hazlewood, in Mumbai: “India's financial hub is Obama's first stop on a four-nation Asia tour which is expected to be heavily weighted towards strengthening ties with fast-growing economies in the thriving region. … The visit to Mumbai will see Obama and his wife Michelle become the most high-profile guests to stay at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel since the attacks two years ago by 10 Islamist militants.”
--Bloomberg’s Hans Nichols and James Rupert: “Obama's three-day stay in India will be his longest in a foreign country as president. … ‘Obama in his international globetrotting now has to show that he is creating benefits for American business,’ said, an analyst at the New America Foundation … ‘He is shifting from a kinder, gentler, less unilateral stance in terms of foreign policy to one where he Steven Clemons needs to show bottom-line benefits from American engagement abroad.’”

THE PRESIDENT’S DAY, per the White House: “In the afternoon, the President and the First Lady will land in Mumbai, India. … Later in the afternoon, the President and the First Lady will view the 26/11 memorial at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel. The President will then deliver remarks commemorating the 26/11 attacks. … The President and the First Lady will then visit the Mani Bhavan Ghandi Museum. … The President will then meet with entrepreneurs at the Trident Nariman Point Hotel. There will be a pool spray at the top of the meeting. The President will then meet with CEO’s from India and the United States. There will be a pool spray of the meeting. In the late afternoon, the President will deliver remarks to the USIBC Business Summit.”

--THE V.P.’s WEEK AHEAD: “On Monday, the Vice President will meet with Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer to discuss Recovery Act implementation. Earl Devaney, Chairman of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, will also attend. Later, the Vice President will meet with Bill Gates. On Tuesday, the Vice President will deliver remarks at a Middle Class Task Force event. Later, the Vice President will attend the White House Diwali reception. … On Thursday, the Vice President will host a Veterans Day breakfast at the White House. Afterwards, the Vice President will visit Arlington National Cemetery to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns and deliver remarks at the Memorial Amphitheater. On Friday, the Vice President will hold a Recovery Act Implementation Cabinet meeting in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.”

THE ONION, lead story of print edition: “Last Remaining Politician Must Rebuild Entire Government Following Bloodiest Midterm Election In American History.”

BEHIND THE CURTAIN: WHO’LL PLAY TODD HARRIS IN THE MOVIE? -- Weekly Standard cover, “Inside the Rubio Campaign -- It Was Rubio’s Tuesday: The most important freshman senator,” by Stephen F. Hayes: Marco “Rubio took a seat at the gate next to his wife, Jeanette, a stunning former Miami Dolphins cheerleader who looks like she just walked off the field despite having given birth to four kids in the last ten years. … ‘Do you know if there’s a Men’s Wearhouse near our hotel?’ he asked his body guy, Orlando ‘Landi’ Cicilia. Rubio’s carry-on contained two suits he had bought at the discount clothier, and … he explained that the store would press any suits purchased there at no charge. He dropped his voice an octave. ‘You’re going to like the way you look,’ he said, cracking himself up. ‘I guarantee it.’

--“Six hours later, Rubio was pacing in a small conference room at WESH-TV, the NBC affiliate in Orlando. … His wife spoke up. ‘It’s your last debate. How do you feel?’ ‘I feel least nervous, which is probably not a good thing,’ he said. ‘Let’s go over your opening and closing statements again,’ said Todd Harris, a senior adviser who had run Rubio’s debate prep team for months. ‘They were the shakiest ever earlier this afternoon.’ Everyone laughed, including Rubio. … Harris clicked the stopwatch and Rubio launched into his open, thanking Floridians for watching, reminding them of the stakes and then asking them for their vote. Harris clicked the stopwatch again when he finished. ‘How long?’ Rubio wondered. He had a minute for the real thing. ‘Fifty-six seconds,’ said Harris. ‘That was great.’

--“David Gregory, host of NBC’s Meet the Press, appeared on a muted television in the corner of the room, giving a preview of the debate to a local anchor. Rubio called for volume. Gregory praised the candidates for doing so many debates and said he wanted to make sure the candidates gave substantive answers to the questions of most immediate concern to Floridians. … Rubio wanted the final debate to be either substantive or boring. Or both. ‘I’m just going to wonk out,’ he said. Harris thought Gregory would focus on the economy and Florida’s much-publicized mortgage problems. … Harris told Rubio that Gregory, being a well-known national journalist, would try to demonstrate his local knowledge.” http://bit.ly/bCivWM

NEW “60 MINUTES” EXCERPT -- STEVE KROFT: "Is this a defeat, a reflection on your leadership?”

PRESIDENT OBAMA: “I think that what happened over the course of two years was that we had to take a series of big, emergency steps quickly and most of them in the first six months of my Administration. Each of them had a big price tag. You’ve got intervention in the banks. You’ve got the auto bailout. You’ve got a stimulus package. Each one with a lot of zeroes behind it. And people looked at that and they said, ‘Boy, this feels as if there’s a huge expansion of government.’”

KROFT: “Well, it was a huge expansion of government.”

OBAMA: “What I didn’t effectively, I think, drive home, because we were in such a rush to get this stuff done, is that we were taking these steps not because of some theory that we wanted to expand government. It was because we had an emergency situation, and we wanted to make sure the economy didn’t go off a cliff.”

SUNDAY WASHPOST:

--DANA MILBANK imagines the last two years with Hillary as president: “Clinton campaign advisers I spoke with say she almost certainly would have pulled the plug on comprehensive health-care reform rather than allow it to monopolize the agenda for 15 months. She would have settled for a few popular items such as children's coverage and a ban on exclusions for pre-existing conditions. That would have left millions uninsured, but it also would have left Democrats in a stronger political … The Clinton advisers acknowledge that she probably would have done the auto bailout and other things that got Obama labeled as a socialist. The difference is that she would have coupled that help for big business with more popular benefits for ordinary Americans. Clinton … first called for a 90-day foreclosure moratorium in December 2007 … As a senator from New York, Clinton had good relations with Wall Street. As the heir to her husband's donor base, she would have had more executives in government.” http://wapo.st/bSD1Pn

--FRANK “LUNTZY” LUNTZ in “Outlook”: “The last time Republicans gained control of the House, in 1994, they achieved more in the first 100 days than some Congresses have in two years. From welfare reform to tax cuts to a balanced budget amendment, they passed every one of their 10 ‘Contract With America’ items. … Once again, Republicans cannot be timid. American voters overwhelmingly support spending cuts to balance the budget; six in 10 of them support a 21 percent across-the-board cut in nonmilitary discretionary spending.” Frank I. Luntz, a pollster and communications adviser, is the author of … the forthcoming "Win: The Key Principles to Take Your Business From Ordinary to Extraordinary." http://wapo.st/9I46HB

--GEORGE F. WILL sees “congressional supremacy”: “When Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had 40 or 41 senators in his caucus, he usually had 40 or 41 votes when he felt he urgently needed them. Beginning in January, with at least 46 senators, he will always have 41 votes when he really wants them. So, speculation about whether Obama will ‘change course’ is surreal. … The iceberg was indifferent to the Titanic's course. And now, possessing House committee gavels and subpoena power, Republican chairmen will be able to limit Obama's ability to use the ‘permanent government’ --- the bureaucracy -- to accomplish through regulation what he cannot achieve through legislation.” http://wapo.st/drZq3Q

THE NEW CONGRESS -- “Summers sees prospects for eventual US budget deal,” by Reuters’ Caren Bohan: “A bipartisan agreement to tackle huge U.S. budget deficits is achievable, though it would take a lot of work, outgoing White House economic adviser Larry Summers said Friday. … ‘I think the prospect is there for a necessary compromise but it's going take very hard work,’ Summers told a forum hosted by the World Affairs Councils of America. Summers … said such a deal would also require ‘transparency and trust.’”

MEDIAWATCH – WashPost Ombudsman Andrew Alexander says the paper should work to provide crowd estimates for Mall events like the Stewart/Colbert rally: “[N]ew computer-analyzed aerial imaging is producing what experts say are highly accurate crowd counts. The Post should embrace the technology and get in the game … CBS News has used Digital Design & Imaging Service Inc., a Falls Church firm that employs devices such as satellite images and balloon-tethered cameras. The super-clear shots provide head counts in grids, and computers analyze areas of similar density to produce precise estimates. … Steve Doig, an expert in computer-assisted reporting at Arizona State University's Cronkite School of Journalism, … suggests that The Post and other major media outlets form a consortium to share the costs of using cutting-edge technology.” http://wapo.st/bdHECc

--U.S. News memo to employees, “Completing Our Shift to the Digital World”: “The December issue will be our last print monthly sent to subscribers … Going forward, our non-subscription print offerings will be for newsstand sale and targeted distribution. They'll include the college and grad guides, as well as hospital and personal finance guides. In addition, we’ll publish four other newsstand special editions, focusing on history, religion.” http://bit.ly/a9jYlv

** A message from FairSearch.org: Leading online travel and travel technology companies have formed FairSearch.org to support competition, transparency and innovation in online search. The coalition is urging the Justice Department to challenge Google’s proposed $700M acquisition of ITA Software, the flight search technology that powers many popular travel sites, including KAYAK and Hotwire. Acquiring ITA Software would give Google control over the software that powers most of its rivals in travel search and enable Google to manipulate and dominate the online air travel marketplace. The result could be higher travel prices, fewer travel choices and less innovation in online travel search. FairSearch.org **

We're surprised you didn't ride over to check out the possibilities of emigration, Mike. A big-time JournOlist like you missing the opportunity to plead for a pardon... I heard there's a fat lady auditioning to stand in your office and there's a pool on how long you last before you run. Will you wait until you are charged by the grand jury or just run? Maybe you should have a chat with Mark Greene and learn the ropes?

rain get help.... I'll tell you who's starting to sweat and it ain't Mike Allen, it's the people who knew what was happening with default mortgage swaps, it's the people who knew Iraq didn't have any WMD, because now that the spineless dems are out of power in the house the investigations may actually get some where...

So Cali, do you think we'll have to listen to 2 more years of excuses from Republican politicians instead of getting any real spending cuts? I saw Darrell Issa say we need to implement means testing, I guess that would be a good start.... but he's a Republican politician so his masters will most likely make him change his tune.... just like they did to Boehner after he said he would vote for tax cuts for the middle class if that was all he could get....

C5 Cargo Jet dispenses cash in Mumbai! We can hire audiences in Mumbai a lot cheaper than in Detroit, and they can speak english, according to a high Level Obama acquaintance along for the free ride. The Teleprompter is programmed so Obama just has to wag his lips and smile when cued. We at home, will continue to have high unemployment, high corruption and little faith in Obama or his incompetent staff. Nothing but money says Obama